The Charlotte Hornets have announced the dismissal of head coach Steve Clifford after five seasons.
Hired in May 2013, Clifford found immediate success in Charlotte, retooling the defense, drawing an All-NBA third-team season out of veteran big Al Jefferson, and elevating the then-Bobcats to a rare playoff appearance. They were swept 4-0 by the Miami Heat in the first round that season, but with Kemba Walker emerging as a star and the team rebranding as the Hornets ahead of the 2014-15 season, the franchise appeared to be in the early stages of an organic come-up after several years of despondent performances.
Instead, the Hornets were a pendulum, swinging from year to year between encouraging highs and disappointing lows. In total, the team went 196-214 in the regular season under Clifford's watch, making the playoffs just once more after that final feel-good Bobcats team. The Hornets' breakout 48-win 2015-16 campaign ended with another first-round postseason exit, as they fell in seven games to the post-LeBron James Heat.
After four years, the pendulum never found its upswing in 2017-18, as Clifford and his staff posted the franchise's first back-to-back losing seasons since 2011-13. The defense, once his calling card, ranked just 16th in the league, allowing 107 points per 100 possessions. The offense, despite being led by the two-time All-Star Walker and a cast of highly paid supporting talents, couldn't break the Hornets from their malaise, as they scored just 107 points per 100 possessions. The team was stuck in the NBA's muddy middle class.
Compounding matters on a personal level, Clifford had to take a leave of absence from the team from early December to mid-January to address a health concern.
His turbulent season continued when, just a month after his return to the bench, general manager Rich Cho was relieved of his duties on Feb. 20. The team president and general manager role was filled by the recent hiring of former Lakers executive Mitch Kupchak. With the man who hired him sacked himself, it shouldn't have been a shock to see the team's leadership transition extend to the coach's bench.
Whoever inherits coaching duties in Charlotte will have to find some way to get more out of the current roster than Clifford was able to. According to Basketball-Reference, the Hornets are capped out and currently projected to own the eighth most expensive roster in 2018-19. Unless Charlotte wins big at the 2018 draft lottery - they only have a 2.9 percent chance of securing a top-three pick; otherwise, they'll pick 12th or later - it's unlikely that significant roster reinforcements are on the way.
